The National tribune., 1887-10-27

historic ground. Here was the famous Long
Bridge. over which the first movement against
the rebellion WAS made, when on that May mid
night Col. Wilcox led his lst Mich. across and
drove away the rebel pickets; over which tens
of thousands of gallant young men marched 10
find soldiers graves on the banks of the Kappa
hammock and the James. Here was old fogy
Alexandria with her grass-grown streets and
her memories of Braddock and Washington, of
Ellsworth and Jackson, of the proud advance of
McDowells formidable army and its disorderly
retreat. The rcd banks of old forts for the
defense of Washington crowned the hills on
either side the road, and told eloquently of the
months of labor with the pick and shovel by
the loyal volunteers who flocked to their coun-
try's standard during the Fall of 1851, and in
stead of being led, as they confidently antici-
pated, against the insolent foe, were condemned
10 spent their strength and zeal in navy"
work raising these huge, tawny mounds of clay,
which seem as enduring as the hills they stand
on.
Looking at them one thinks what
A RUDE AWAKENING
1t must have been TO the sanguine youths who
dreamed of 1.-THE pOmp and circumstance of
glorious war who thought when they signed
| their names 10 the enlistment roll and donned
the soldiers blue that il meant immediate en-
trance upon fields of daring and achievement
to be brought down here and set to work on
these old Virginia hills with shovel and wheel
! barrow.
They saw fighting enough afterward to sat
/ isiy the most cOmbative soul among them. But
| il certainly seems now that infinitely better use
could have been made of all that glorious array
of zeal and courage which placed itself at the
command Of Gen. Mcclellan in the Fall OF 1861,
by leading il against the enemy, than by
! pending il in work that could have been better
/ done by gangs of railroad laborers
By-and-by we came to the well-remembered
forests of scrubby pines covering the slopes of
the hills-forests that are remembered as the
lurking places of rebel lines of battle, lairs of
| brigades, divisions and corps of the fierce men
/ in butternut-covers from which used to pour
! legions OF yelling foemen. How the mind of
/ the veteran teens with recolleetiOns Of anxious
advances in skirmish-line or full force upon
| those dreaded coverts, expecting every instant
/ that the sOmber pines would become volcanoes
Of destruction and death. How many of his
comrades he recalls as lying dead or dying on
Just such slopes rs he sees stretch ont there up
10 thickets of pine on the SUBMITS of low
lying hills which shrouded the enemy in
! force"
BULL RUN.
"There is Bull Run, gentlemen" said the
conductor and we all looked out to see mar
row, shallow little creek meandering between
steep, rocky banks.
What, that insignificant creek the famous
Bull Run?" said some of us of the Western
army.
"You wouldn't find it so Insignificant if you
had TO mannyer an army against IT," said some
! of the Army Of the Potomac veterans who were
in the Bull Run battles. cit is much more
! formidable than il looks from the cars"
This was true. When Beaureglrd first took
up his position behind il TO cover the junction of
! the Manassas Gap with the Orange & Alexan-
dria Railroads. neither he nor the authorities
at Richmond fully comprehended the great
strength of the position. Certainly neither
\ Gen. Scott nor Gen. Mcdowell did. This only
came out when the position was more carefully
studied Really the Manassas plateau is great
natural fort, with Honng's Branch and Bull
Run as immense bitches covering every APP
proach 10 il from the east. north and west
\ The plateau rises about 100 feet above these
streams, and the slopes down 10 them are nat
ural glaces, up which an attacking force, after
suffering the Reorganization of crossing, must
march 10 assail the defenders sheltered in the
dense woods on the summit.
MANASSAS JUNCTION
is situated on the highest point Of this great
plateau. and about three miles from the cross
ing of Bull Run. BY the way the people of
the country pronounce il " Manassa," aud il is
so spelled on the local maps. There is now a
very pretty little village of about 600 in
habitants at the Junction. It's well-built fresh
] ly-painted houses and trimly-kept grounds
| aud streets are quite contrast 10 the stray
! Cling, comiortless.iookng towns, with their
! glaring whiteyashed houses, customary in this
part Of Virginia. IL looks like thriving little
village in Ohio or Indiana, except that there
| are no manufactures 10 be seen. In the edge
of the town is the fine country residence of
Mr.. Portner, the wealthy brewer, of Alexan-
dria. His place, which he calls "AnnabuTg"
has apparently several hundred acres, inclosed
with barbed wire. He has large park. newly
planted with young trees in front Of the house,
with fountains, fsh-ponds, flower-beds, ETC.
Several wind-nills, for raising water, are
marked features Of the landscape. and owing
10 the elevation can be seen for miles. The
| only signs Of the war Immediately about the
| Junction are several heavy earthworks, built
10y the rebels during the Winter of Lea,
| and upon which were the famous Quaker guns
| which Mcclellan found when he advanced
there in March, 1862.
| TO THE BATTLEFIELD.
We took carriages at Manassas Junction for
| the battlefield, four miles distant The horses
given Us were very good-the Manassas coun-
| try is noted for its fine stock-but the roads
were very bad. That is true of all the high
| ways in that region. Very little work would
make excellent roads, for there is an abundance
OF stone and gravel, and drainage in that roll
ing country is easy. Frequently the roads
wind over the uncovered rock, where a small
amount of labor with pick would reduce the
benches over which the carriages bump 20 the
smoothness of pavement, but the pick is
never employed. nor is there a ditch dug TO
carry off the water. The result is that the
roads are abominably rough in Summer ard
quagmires of mud-just AS they used TO be in
war tmes-in the Winter.
Everywhere that We went we saw trees load
ed with golden-hued persimmons. The leaves
had ali fallen of the trees, leaving the fruit to
show in bold relief. The trees were as full as
one SEES peach trees in exceptionally good
years. A m9nth from now the persinmons
will be delicious. Just now they are in the
golden yellow stage when they are too astrin-
gent and "puckery" for any earthly purpose.
Someone. as we looked at them was reminded
Of the story of Gen. Lee seeing one Of his men
eating unripe persimmons.
My man." said Lee, "you shouldn't eat
those. They're not fit TO eat yet"
:" ] know il, Jineral," replied the man "pm
not eatin' them bekase they are good. but be-
kase / want TO draw my stomach up SOS my
rations III fit il better"
on TIE HENRY HOUSE PLATEAU.
At length we emerged from the woods on the
brow of hill which descended to a creek.
Beyond the stream was a long slope up 10 a
dense woods. To our right, about 100 yards
from the road, stood a cheaply- built, un-
painted franc house, and little beyond that
was another.
Gentlemen, this is the battlefield said
Mr. BTawner keeper of the Cannon House at
Manassas Junction, and who was our excellent
guide. That first house there is the famous
Henry House, and the one beyond Is the Rob-